The ongoing adventures of a father who is finally finding the answers by dedicating himself to his family.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Blueberry Bliss

It's
never a good thing to excessively pat yourself on the back, though I
seem to excel at it, especially when it comes to real man in training
(RMIT) topics. The male ego is such a frail thing. I also don't want
to speak too soon because you just never know how things are going to
turn out, but I think we've managed to resurrect our blueberry
bushes. They were not doing very well for a couple of years and I was
at a complete loss as to why, when I was given some instructions on
how to care for them and it highlighted how much I was neglecting
them. Chalk it up to ignorance.

When
we first moved into the house the previous owner gave us two bushes,
which I thought was nice. I put them into the ground and figured that
was the end of it, not realizing that I not only put them in
improperly, but wasn't attending to them, either. How was I to know
that you're supposed to water blueberries? I figured I didn't water
trees or shrubs, they just grew. Not only that, but apparently
blueberries are a bit finicky, so they need extra care and attention.

A
few years back there was a movement to plant more edible plants in
your yard and I got 6 more blueberries, but this time I learned the
proper way to plant them, consulting with such experts as JM and CS.
I found that you need to make their environment acidic, and that they
needed loads of water during the summer months. They also benefit
from some peat moss in their roots. While it was too late for the old
plants, I took the proper steps for the new ones, using the moss and
adding acidic fertilizer to the roots. I also starting adding acidic
fertilizer to the soil around the plants, and using acidic pellets
once a year. Finally, I use some pine or hemlock mulch, which is
acidic. There's a whole lot of acidity going on around here.

After
all of my efforts, the plants have been doing well. The old ones,
which stopped bearing fruit and were looking a little sickly have
rebounded to the point where they are not only lush, but are cranking
out berries. The new ones are looking good, as well, but I'm really
stoked about the old ones. They were literally on the brink. Now our
big problem is the deer, which tore through one of the biggest
producers, eating a bunch of the leaves, so I have to employ a deer
fence, but all in all, things are looking good... or should I say,
blue?

Until
the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Jamie Lee for the pic.